Those early days, it seemed like it might be okay. The NGG was what we wanted: real people taking care of a broken world. When did it all change?

An impossible weight pressed down on Danny, feeling all the more disturbing because he couldn’t see any trace of the Villain’s power at work. Graviton’s initial attack had sent them flying backward as the ground warped beneath them, then left them flattened against the ground as the increased gravity pushed down on them. Still, Danny was impressed by how quickly the group of young Heroes burst into action.

The Villain had turned after his attack, apparently dismissing the group as no real threat, and moving back to the large container of Gamma. Erica capitalized on this mistake, using her enhanced strength to resist Graviton’s power, and in a moment she was back on her feet. She raced to a nearby street light, picked it up–seemingly without a struggle–and cleverly swung it over her head, using the added gravity to increase the speed and force as it crashed down onto the Villain’s odd, spherical helmet.

The gravity returned to normal as the armored purple giant was knocked to one knee, and the rest of the team quickly regained their feet while Erica charged in for the attack. Nell was shouting orders even as she gathered flames in her hands. “Everyone spread out! Gary, do what you can to counter his gravity. Charles, every opening you get, I want to see shockwaves blasting away his armor, it’s clearly as much a weapon as it is defense.”

True to her own words, she immediately began sending blast after blast of raw, concentrated flame at Graviton's massive helmet. Thankfully Erica was eclipsed in size by the massive brute, and it was easy enough for her to stay low, swinging furiously while the two ranged Heroes aimed high. Every time the Villain tried to line up a clear swing, shockwave, fire, or both would crash into him, sending his attacks off target.

“Where do you want me?” Danny asked desperately, gathering his shield around himself instinctively.

“Damn it, Summers, just protect Gary!” Nell called out as Graviton hurled a chunk of destroyed road in her direction.

Whatever, Danny thought, I’ll protect Gary so hard. He charged back to the black-clad mentalist, who was clearly concentrating, a glare locked on the battlefield. Danny expanded his shield so it wrapped around them both, then tried to match his teammate’s focus. “So, you’ll be ready for another gravity attack?” Danny asked, feeling as useless as he had during capture the flag.

“He’s using his powers non-stop,” Gary said through gritted teeth. “Let me concentrate; this isn’t exactly what telekinesis is for. I’m basically pushing everyone upward as hard as their own body weight is pushing them down.” He grunted in strain. “This is insane, we’re not ready for this.”

Danny did as he was told and stopped distracting the guy. Is there some way I can help? Can my powers do what his do, push everyone up somehow? He abandoned the idea almost immediately, knowing that the unfortunate truth was that he’d likely just hurt his allies…or blast them a hundred feet in the air or something. Gary was far better suited to precision work like this.

Letting out a sigh, Danny tried to watch the battle. He was determined to be valuable to the team, even if that just meant standing between Graviton and Young Infinity. It was odd watching a true clash between supers play out in front of him. He’d seen plenty of feeds of the different Hero groups fighting with Villains over the years, but they were always so quick, so edited. This was…visceral.

Nell and Charles were moving constantly, as the Graviton took every free moment to hurl something in their direction. He was obviously irritated by their attacks, even if his armor didn’t look damaged. Danny noticed the few remaining trees which grew from gaps in the nearby sidewalks were bent nearly in half from the tremendous gravity. An abandoned car even slammed into the ground as its tires, or maybe the axels gave way to its increased weight.

It was the fight with Erica that really captured Danny, however. They were both meant to be Reactive level, but you wouldn’t know it from watching. The diminutive yellow and black clad Hero was dodging and deflecting attacks, and even landing the occasional strike. But from how Graviton was reacting, they didn’t look like two comparably strong heroes knocking each other around, it looked like a large man fighting a small girl.

Danny prompted his K-Device to scan the Villain again. It had displayed an error when they first arrived so he’d ignored it, but now he had a dangerous suspicion and just kept trying. “Gary, what does your KD register Graviton as?”

He turned back to see his charge was wiping a bloody nose, and his eyes were turning red as well. “Says nothing. Errors,” he managed.

Danny considered. His own ocular KD was something Emi had gotten directly from K-Tech, and she’d even fiddled with it herself in preparation for his mission. He had nothing else to do, so he just kept prompting its scanning feature, choosing to trust the Tech who’d proven so reliable both in and out of the Farm.

The minutes ticked by. Ten scans. Charles sent another round of shockwaves before diving behind loose brick from a ruined building. Error. Graviton threw a car in answer. Twenty scans. Nell moved like liquid. Her flames never seemed to stop, no matter how the Villain dodged or tried to control the battle. Error. One moment she seemed dangerously close to the melee, the next she’d managed to jump onto a second floor balcony to fire dowards. Thirty scans.

Every time Graviton managed to force the team back, he would turn and push the Gamma vault further down the road. Danny finally noticed a large truck further down the road, its cargo area more than big enough to house the stolen Gamma. He was about to call that out when his K-Device blinked with new information. One of the scans had succeeded.

Class: Super Strength / Gravity-Manipulator (Hybrid)

Rank: Fission (A) / Reactive (B)

Danny blinked as his mouth ran dry. Fission Rank. He’d never seen one in person–that he was aware of at least. A number of the NGG Hero teams must have reached that level, but it was still rare. The amount of Gamma that it would take…he looked at the enormous vault Graviton was slowly pushing down the street, designed to supply an army of Elites. Yup, that might do it.

Snapping out of it, Danny opened his mouth to warn the team, but even if he said something, what could they do? Erica must have already realized the man’s strength was well beyond her own. Maybe it would be okay–

Danny suddenly felt lighter, and when he glanced back Gary was letting out a relieved breath. Please let that be a good thing, he thought as he turned back to the battle. It wasn’t. Graviton was just soaking up the hits as he raised his arms above him. Charles and Nell took the opening to redouble their attacks, but Danny could tell something was wrong. The Villain’s muscles were bulging and straining as they struggled to support his own hands, and the massive, heavy metal gauntlets he wore. Oh shit, he’s turned his gravity on himself.

“Erica! Get back, he’s–” it was too late. She’d moved in to get in as many clean shots as she could. The enormous gauntlets dropped onto her like boulders, and the crack of bone was audible, even from where Danny stood more than thirty paces away. Erica dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut, both shoulders sitting at disturbing angles. Danny took a step forward, wanting to help somehow, but Graviton was faster.

He reached down, grabbing Erica by a limp arm. There were more pops and snaps as he whipped her back and forth, her tiny frame weightless in his grasp. Then he hurled her at a building to Danny’s left, where she crashed through a brick wall to crumble into an unmoving heap inside.

“Erica?” he whispered, his mind not really working.

“I have her,” Gary said, as the broken and twisted body emerged from the darkness of the building’s interior. “Wrap the shield around her, I can hold her togeth–Argh!” They both collapsed to the ground as the intense gravity returned, and Erica’s body dropped suddenly, stopping barely an inch from the shattered pavement.

The gravity seemed to lessen a moment later, and Danny rushed to his feet while refocusing his shield around the three of them. Gary carefully lowered the injured girl to the ground, grunting as more blood poured from his nose. Danny had to stop himself from looking at her arms, which disturbingly had multiple extra angles. Remarkably, the rest of her body seemed largely intact. Good to be a strength super, he thought, turning back to the battle.

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Charles and Nell seemed to have found new reserves of energy after watching their teammate brutalized, and they were blasting the Villain with everything they had. “Careful!” Danny called out. “His strength is Fission Rank!”

“Understood, take care of Erica,” came Nell’s voice from his ear, and Danny felt like an idiot for not thinking about the communicators they’d been given. How does anyone think clearly during this kind of insanity?

Graviton was back to pushing his prize down the road, seemingly content to ignore the remaining Heroes. Nell suddenly rushed forward, obviously recognizing the mission was close to a failure. She put her hands on the metal of the Gamma Vault–as far from the Villain as possible–and used an ability that Danny had rarely seen in training. The container began to glow, and waves of heat could be seen rising from it.

Graviton appeared unbothered. Despite his purple suit now being a scorched ruin, his Fission rank constitution had clearly prevented Nell’s fire from doing much damage. Danny and the Villain were both surprised, however, when the vault began melting through the asphalt of the road, slowing to a crawl even as Graviton pushed with all his prodigious strength.

After a moment he let out a furious roar, and even spoke for the first time, yelling at the red-clad Hero in a language Danny didn’t recognize. He moved suddenly, leaping over the Gamma and swinging at Nell with both his massive fists. She was still faster, if barely, and she danced backward, dodging not just the villain, but between the endless rubble, cars, and bodies of slain Elites.

It seemed inevitable that her luck would run out, and sure enough she eventually found herself boxed in between the wrecks of two cars. To her credit, her flames never let up, lighting up Graviton like a sun as the fire spilled over him. A massive hand pushed through the flames, reaching for Nell with unstoppable promise.

“Nell!” Charles called out, as he revealed a second ability of his own. Danny had seen this one in training, but never directed at a teammate for obvious reasons. He was soaring through the air, his body a vibrating blur as his power turned him into a deadly projectile. He slammed into Graviton from the side, and though the giant only stumbled a few paces, it was enough for Nell to sprint out of reach.

Unfortunately for Charles, that left him alone with the Villain, and he soon collapsed as his attack ended. Nell hadn’t forgotten him though, and fire erupted in Graviton’s face as he swung wildly at the retreating Charles. Then the gravity intensified once more, and Danny heard a cry of pain from Gary in response.

Charles collapsed to a crawl, barely managing to drag his heavy body forward. Nell’s flames cut out as she too dropped to the ground, only a few paces from her downed companion. Graviton had clearly been pushed too far as he strode forward, murder in his barely visible eyes. Once more he straightened and braced his back, and in a heartbeat his spherical helmet crashed forward.

Charles managed to roll onto his side, but even a glancing blow was devastating, as his body was alternately crushed against the pavement, and then thrown into a nearby car by the heaving ground. He was still moving, somehow alive, but no sound came out when he opened his mouth, terror clear on his face as he writhed in agony.

Graviton ignored him, instead moving toward Nell, who’d been thrown toward Danny by the attack. She was close enough that Danny was able to extend his shield around her, before dragging her back toward the group. Despite not being the direct target, she hadn’t come through the attack unscathed, and splintered bone had pushed through the red material covering her right leg. She was groaning in pain, and Danny looked from her to Charles, feeling an intense sense of helplessness. Graviton was coming.

Danny felt his own weight increasing as the giant approached his shield. Graviton was a mess. Fire had burned away everything except his massive helmet and gauntlets, as well as a few scraps of armor meant to protect his more sensitive areas. His flesh was scorched as well, his once tan skin was now a mass of black intermixed with burns seeping blood.

Danny desperately tried to think as the furious monster approached. “Summers,” Gary said in a weak voice. “What do we do?” Danny glanced back, and recoiled as he took in the state of the Hero. His face was a mess of blood, and it leaked from nose, ears, and even his eyes. He was clearly giving everything he had. Danny looked from him to the others.

They’d all given everything they had, everyone but him.

Without answering, Danny turned back to Graviton. “You win!” he called. “We give up. The Gamma is yours. Just take it and go!” The giant didn’t deign to acknowledge the call, he just approached the shield with an unhurried stride. “Please!” Danny called again. “We’re just kids, man! You don’t have to do this.”

Nothing. The man stopped just outside the shield, its green light reflected in his now warped and partially melted helmet. Without another word, he began to raise his arms, and Danny felt the gravity lessen as the man’s muscles bulged and flexed as the gauntlets rose slowly into the air.

It’s okay. He can’t break your shield. Nothing can break your sh–

Danny didn’t see the strike, he just felt his knees crash into the ground, and he tasted fresh blood in his mouth. Looking up, he saw that the shield still held, but it was cracked. He’d never seen that before. He’d certainly never felt anything like that before. He could have sworn those fists had hit him, as if something inside of him had cracked along with the shield.

“I…can’t…” Gary muttered from behind him and Danny saw the man was laying on the ground, one hand still held up as he desperately tried to add the last of his strength to their defense. Again the gravitational force began to gather around the Villain, and Danny threw more power into the shield before those immense fists slammed down like meteors.

He managed not to collapse this time, but he felt something snap within him. The shield was covered in spider web cracks now, and the gauntlets had actually made it partly through, their gleaming metal only inches from Danny. It’s over, he thought, looking down to see Gary unmoving–unconscious or dead, he didn’t know. His shield had finally broken. He’d met someone that wouldn’t let him hide like a turtle in its shell.

He looked up woodenly at Graviton, as those massive arms slowly began to rise one final time. As Danny coughed out more blood, his mind turned unbidden to Vincent. He remembered his friend coughing blood onto the library floor after being struck by Berserker Bob. He’d been in even worse shape on the night that crazy super guard had tried to kill him. He’d pushed his powers past the breaking point to save them from the Beta addicts.

How did he always do it? Danny wondered. How did he always move forward when he should have laid down and died? His mind turned to Legacy then, and what he’d told Danny about his own early days, and how he’d met his problems head on. Those massive arms were still rising, as if in slow motion. Danny looked from Erica to Gary, then finally to Nell, who was conscious, and staring back at him.

There was a challenge in her gaze. Well, what are you really? A fool, a Hero, just Legacy’s pet project? Her eyes seemed to ask the same questions that were screaming in his mind. Looking back at the mountain of a Villain before him, Danny made a decision that he’d been avoiding for years.

The truth was that he didn’t know exactly who he was. Hero, fool, rebel, Villain, even? All of them? Time would tell. But today, as he let the shield drop and pulled all that power into a single point in front of him, he made a choice. Vincent, Legacy, or anyone else… “I’m not just a sidekick,” he whispered. As Graviton’s fists came down, Danny’s power exploded outward, crashing into the giant’s stomach and sending him soaring backward, skidding over the ground and finally slamming into a car.

The Villain started to regain his feet almost immediately. It hadn’t been enough, but that was okay. Danny was enough. He was on top of Graviton a moment later, his fists crashing into the man, waves of energy and force bursting outward with every strike. This man had killed who knows how many people for this stupid drug. He’d torn Danny’s team apart, and now he was ready to slaughter them for being an inconvenience. Danny wouldn’t let it happen.

His right fist slammed down.

His anger was always just beneath the surface.

His left fist cannoned into the Villain’s chest like a battering ram.

But that anger was always there.

Right fist.

His family had thrown him away.

Left fist. Cracking bone.

The NGG had made him a slave.

Right fist. His own blood was pouring down his face.

The Farm had tried to break him.

Left fist. Graviton was reaching upward.

He was living a lie. He was a living lie.

His right fist was swallowed by an enormous gauntlet.

He almost let his team die, because he was a coward.

His left fist came down, but not on the Villains chest. He aimed for the tiny, bent gap in the ridiculous sphere of a helmet the man was wearing. He threw every scrap of power he had left into that attack, and he didn’t blunt it. He didn’t keep it safe. He didn’t let it be silly. He formed a blade of shimmering green energy, and he stabbed with all his strength, holding nothing back.

There was no sound as the man died. Danny probably wouldn’t have heard it over the pounding of blood in his ears anyway. The grip on his arm just went slack as the Villain convulsed and shook beneath him. And then he was still. Then it was over. Danny had won.

He got shakily to his feet, looking down at the man he’d just killed. He watched with detached fascination at the blood dripping from his own face down onto the villain’s still body. Darkness creeped in at the edge of his vision, and then finally swallowed him entirely.